Furnace.



No. 65H38. Patented Sept. 4, |900. W. SMETHUBST.'

FURNACE.

f (Application filed Jan. 3, 1900.)

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Patented septQ4, |900. w. sMETHuRsT.

F U R N C E.

(Application led. Jan, 3, 1900,)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM SMETHURST, OF DOLGELLY, ENGLAND.

FU RNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 657,138, datedSeptember 4, 1900. Application 1ed January ti", 1900. Serial No. 282.(No model.)

T0 @ZZ Zeh/@7n t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SMETHURST, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at Dolffelly, North IVales, England, haveinvented a new and Improved Furnace for the Treatment of AuriferousBefraetory Orcs with Collection of By-Products, (for which I have madeapplication for Letters Patent in Great Britain under No. 11,894 anddate .lune 7, 1899,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to furnaces for the roasting of refractory oresor like materials, but is especiallyT applicable to the roasting ofrefractory auriferous ores containing sulfur, antimony, and arsenic; andit consists of a combination of devices whereby the ore 01 like materialmay be cheaply traveled through the furnace for a sufficient time toeffect the volatilization of certain substances, such as sulfur, an timony, and arsenic, and of separating and collecting chambers for thecollection of these volatile substances as by-products, thus reducingthe cost of treatment and rendering the ore immediately amenable to themost ordinary and simple treatment by amalgamation for the recovery ofthe precious metals therefrom, and in orderrthat my iuvent-ion may bethe better understood I will now proceed to describe the same, withreference to the drawings hereto annexed and to the letters markedthereon.

Figure l is a perspective elevation of my complete furnace. Fig. 2 is asectional plan of the same on line Y Y, and Fig. 3 is a transversesection of the same on line X X.

The roasting-chamber of my furnace is in the form of a tunnel A, adaptedto be partially or wholly closed by doors B at either end. The hearth ofthe furnace,when in use, is formed by trucks C, traveling on an ordinaryiron track D, laid right through the tunnel A. The frame of the trucksis covered with layers of fire-bricks E, adapted to support the ore orother material to be roasted and forming, by close proximity to thesides of the tunnel and to one another and by enveloping a projectingcourse F of the side of the tunnel, a sufficient seal to the bottom ofthe furnacechamber without absolute contact therewith. The necessaryheat for roasting the ore or like material on the trucks is obtainedthrough side orifices H in the Walls of tunnel from twyer or blow pipesG, connected to a main U, supplied at the required pressure with such anadmixture of combustible gas, such as producer-gas, and air as mayberequired to produce either an oxidizing or reducing blast. Such holesI-I as are not required for ad mission of combustible gas may be closedor left open to admit air if required. The ore or like material ou thetruckhearths is reduced to a fairly-uniform stratum by passing under theadjustable doors B on entering, the said doors being set to skim off anysurplus depth. The ore or like material is thus traveled through thetunnel-furnace Ain any desired period of time and alldesired volatileconstituents, such as the sulfur, antimony, and arsenic, are therevolatilized by roasting the charge in such furnace varying from about200 to 700g. Such volatile products are drawn by an aspirating-fan Kthrough an aperture or apertures L in the roof of the furnace to a iirstcollecting chamber M, conveniently above the furnace,w11ich chamber hasabout 300 Fahrenheit in temperature. Here the least-volatileconstituents of the vaporized4 products, such as the sulfur, condenseand may be collected, While the more-volatile constituents, such asarsenic and antimony, are drawn farther on into a much largercondensing-chamber N through an aperture or apertures P in thedividingwall between the chambers M and N and high up in such Wall. Thischamber N is also provided with alternately-placed baffle-plates Q Q,against which the passing vapors strike and by Which condensation isincreased. The temperature of this chamber is little above that of theexternal atmosphere, and the au timony and arsenic may there becollected as oxids or sulfids, as desired, according to whether the gasand air supply to the furnace through the twyers G and the air-doors IIis made a neutral or an oxidizing blast, as bcfore described.

Suitable doors R R, adapted to close gastight, are provided in thechambers M N, by which access may be obtained for the collection of thecondensed products therein.

The aspirating-fan K by its suction-pipe S creates a suiiicient draft orsuction to draw the volatile products in the direction desired IOO inlieu of a chimney, and such final products of combustion or uncondensedgases as may pass through it are iinallydischarged into or through aWater-tank Tnvhere noxious fumes are finally condensed.

The Value of the by-products th us obtain ed by the roasting ofarsenical or antimonial sulfid ores covers to a great extent the cost ofsuch roasting,-leaving the ores,it' auriferous, excellently amenabletothe ordinary and simple forms of amalgam ation or other knownprocesses for the recovery of the precious metals. ,c

Having now described my invention, what I clailn, and desire to secu reby Letters Patent, is

In combination, a tun nel-furnace chamber, heartlis mounted on truckframes, a railtrack through the tunnel-furnace carrying 2o said trucks,adjustable sliding doors to close the furnace ends, side apertures abovethe hearths, twyers or nozzles in part of the side apertures for thesuppl y of combustible gases, an intermediate collecting chamber abovesaid tunnel-furnace and connecting therewith at one end, asecondcollecting-chamber adjacent to the intermediate chamber and connectingtherewith at the opposite end, baille-partitions 'in said secondcollectingchamloer, an aspirating-fan connected to said secondcollecting-chamber, a Water-tank, and a pipe connection from-said fan tosaid tank Vfo1- discharging. the gases into said tank, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 35 hand in presence of twowitnesses.

WILLIAM SMETHURST. Ni tnesses:

RICHARD A. HOFFMANN, CHARLEs CARTER.

